| Alternative medicine is any form of practice that is | | | | treatment tool. Still other techniques include cognitive |
| outside the realm of conventional modern medicine. | | | | behavioral therapy, meditation, mental healing, yoga, |
| Alternative medicine is an age old healing science that | | | | and art, music, and dance therapy. Alternative |
| uses natural forces present within the human body | | | | medicine can include dietary supplements, megadose |
| to cure various diseases, including the practice of | | | | vitamins, special teas, massage therapy, magnet |
| using nutrition, herbs, homeopathy, supplements and | | | | therapy, and spiritual healing. Therapies like hypnosis |
| other forms of natural health care. Alternative | | | | and visualization claims to be able to change physical |
| medicine is also referred to as "complementary | | | | conditions through purely mental interventions. |
| medicine". Complementary and alternative medicine | | | | Some osteopathic physicians practice osteopathic |
| (CAM) encompasses nonconventional approaches to | | | | manipulation, a full-body system of hands-on |
| healing, beyond traditional medicine. Since conventional | | | | techniques to alleviate pain, restore function, and |
| medicine often fails to discover the cause of an | | | | promote health and well-being. Complementary |
| illness or to relieve pain, many people turn to some | | | | medicine is a group of diagnostic and therapeutic |
| form of alternative medicine. Alternative medicine | | | | disciplines that are used together with conventional |
| treatments can be safe, natural and non-invasive | | | | medicine. An example of complementary and |
| ways to resolve problems, get to the cause of your | | | | alternative medicine healing system is Ayurveda. |
| health complaints and help restore vitality. | | | | Whereas complementary medicine is used together |
| There are many forms of complementary and | | | | with conventional medicine, alternative medicine is |
| alternative medicine, too many to list here. Some of | | | | used in place of conventional medicine. Alternative |
| the more common ones are Aromatherapy, which | | | | medical practices are generally not recognized by the |
| involves the use of essential oils (extracts or | | | | medical community as standard or conventional |
| essences) from flowers, herbs, and trees to promote | | | | medical approaches. |
| health and well-being. | | | | Alternative medicine is generally thought of as being |
| Reiki is a therapy in which practitioners seek to | | | | used instead of conventional methods. Alternative |
| transmit a universal energy to a person, either from | | | | Medicine is a healthy, viable option for achieving |
| a distance or by placing their hands on or near that | | | | optimum health. Perhaps alternative medicine is |
| person. Naturopathic medicine proposes that there is | | | | becoming more mainstream, and less alternative, in |
| a healing power in the body that establishes, | | | | the twenty-first century. We encourage you to |
| maintains, and restores health. Naturopaths draw on | | | | discuss any decisions about treatment or care with |
| many forms of complementary and alternative | | | | your health care provider. This is not intended to |
| medicine, including massage, acupuncture, herbal | | | | substitute for the medical expertise and advice of |
| remedies, exercise and lifestyle counseling. | | | | your primary health care provider. |
| Chiropractors use manipulative therapy as an integral | | | | |